Notes: Oh my gosh I'm so sorry it's been so long! School started, and I got really busy with that—so I'm so sorry for not responding to any reviews since then! Also, sorry for taking so long to update...I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost a bunch of readers. But thank you to those who reviewed while I was gone: frustratedstudent, HermsP, PhoenixFlames12, Deadtom77, and Musichetta. This chapter is for you:)
BARRICADE
CHAPTER XIII
A week or so goes by, and everything has settled into a comfortable, simple pattern. Éponine is the newest waitress at the Café Musain, and by far the most popular, thanks to the Amis. All of the Amis have taken to her strongly (the fact that she is good friends with both Enjolras and Marius increases their confidence in her greatly; plus Gavroche trusts her and everybody trusts Gavroche). Jehan has taken to her perhaps a bit too much for Enjolras's liking, but then again Jehan falls in love anew practically every single morning.
Éponine is still living with Montparnasse though, a fact that none of the Amis are particularly happy with (Bahorel especially)—it seems they've all become quite protective of Éponine. She swears that things with Montparnasse are okay now, since she is able to pay her half of the rent. But one day she shows up at the Musain with a couple of bruises, and Enjolras can't help but worry.
She doesn't like it when they leave her absurdly large tips (which they insist on doing every night)—because she doesn't like charity. But Combeferre says often that it isn't charity, pointing out several reasons why (but they mostly are too philosophical and reference Plato's Republic often, which she hasn't read, so it pretty much just all flies over her head). Bahorel just tells her simply to consider the tips as presents for all the birthdays, Christmases, etc. that the Amis weren't present in her life for, so she acquiesces, but not without a small amount of trepidation.
Often when her back is turned, Enjolras adds one or two (or ten) francs to the pile of coins and bills that constitute her tip. He is the one Ami that Éponine refuses to take any money at all from, so he has resorted to giving her the money when she's not looking.
The Amis keep Éponine busy, and Enjolras is busy too. He is increasingly preoccupied as the planned day of the occupation of the Nanterre grows ever closer. All he seems to do is prepare, constantly making phone calls to the other radical leaders as they plan the exact times and locations. They are preparing pamphlets—one by Dany le Rouge that mostly talks about how the students should be permitted to go into the dorms of the opposite sex and sleep together if they so wish—most of the pamphlets are like that.
That is the official cause of the radicals' revolution, but Éponine knows that for Enjolras and the Amis it is more (as evidenced by the dramatically differing pamphlets that they have been distributing). Les Amis believe in more. So as she carefully slides a blank roll of film into her camera one night after work, all she can think of is how different the boys are from the other students. For them, this is about more than just resolving their sexual frustrations. For them, this is simply a stop on the way to a beautiful new day—a new republic.
And that's what her thesis film is going to be about. Éponine realizes that she isn't quite sure when, but at some point in time she has started believing in the boys' cause too.
The twentieth of March dawns just as the whole week has been going. Éponine wakes early, to avoid Montparnasse (who is usually passed out or hungover from the night before) and leaves their ratty apartment on the Boulevard Saint-Germain. It's about six in the morning when she leaves, dressed in black, and she is early to her shift at the Musain. Soon, all the Amis are intermittently entering the café as well. Formerly they came to the café only for their meetings at night, but as they day of the occupation approaches they've taken to spending their entire day at the Musain, planning nervously.
Soon all the Amis are seated, talking and laughing, as Éponine hands them mugs of coffee. When she's not looking, Courfeyrac slips three francs into her brown leather satchel, sliding the notes between the heavy books that load down her bag where it sits in the corner of the room.
None of them are happy about her situation with Montparnasse—a few try to convince her to leave him that morning—but she still swears up and down that it's fine. It's really not, but she is far too proud to ask one of the Amis to stay with them, even though every single one of them would say yes without a second thought.
Enjolras is making a speech now, about equality of the different classes, and Éponine is perfectly, serenely happy as she watches the boys together, their camaraderie and friendship, as Enjolras stands above it all, preaching equality and burning brighter with passion than she has ever seen him before. Everything is a perfect morning, as she takes a sip of her own coffee—when in walks a young, freckled student with innocent blue eyes. Her breath hitches at the sight of him—Marius Pontmercy. She sputters, nearly choking on her coffee and Joly, wide-eyed, pats her on the back while asking her if perhaps she's contracted whooping cough. Éponine recovers and quickly turns the other way, begging whatever god that can hear her that Marius won't catch sight of her.
She refills Feuilly's mug of coffee, and he asks, worried, "Éponine? Are you all right? You have the oddest expression..." Marius turns from where he'd been talking to Courfeyrac upon hearing Éponine's name.
He taps her on the shoulder. "Éponine?" he grins. "Hey, 'Ponine, d'you remember me?" She jumps, slightly shocked, and shrieks a little, upending the coffeepot onto Enjolras, standing beside her.
Grantaire bursts out alughing. "What a fine picture you paint, my dear Enjolras! Quick, someone bring me a canvas—or perhaps Éponine's camera. Apollo Doused In Coffee—this scene is too fine of a subject to miss!" he chortles, and Éponine strongly suspects that the black coffee she made him has since somehow been transformed into Irish coffee, undoubtedly by his own hand.
"Shit, Marius, you startled me!" Éponine curses as she turns and tries to wipe the coffee of of Enjolras's red sweater, only succeeding in smearing it further. He stops her, saying that it's fine, and Marius, laughing, hugs Éponine tight.
Enjolras can't pretend that his jaw doesn't clench slightly as Marius hugs Éponine, even though he knows perfectly well that Marius's feelings for Éponine are purely platonic. Éponine for Marius though...about that he's not so sure.
Marius eventually pulls away from Éponine (unfortunately still keeping his arm around her) and for some reason Enjolras feels a sense of relief. "I have an announcement to make," says Marius excitedly, blue eyes dancing in slightly insane circles.
Éponine smiles beautifully up at him, in a way that Enjolras has never seen her look at anyone else before, much less himself. "What is it, Mare?" Enjolras's eyes bug out at the nickname—Mare?!—and Grantaire feels obligated to point out his ridiculous expression to the rest of the Amis.
"Cosette and I are getting married!" he practically shouts, and he leans into Éponine, obviously expecting a congratulations sort of best-friend hug, or perhaps a kiss on the cheek. Instead he finds air. Éponine has slipped out from under his arm and now stands beside Enjolras.
The only thing she feels is a sort of snapping sensation, and she realizes the thing that snapped was whatever last connection she still held with Marius—whatever it was, it had been nothing more than a feeble thread linking them together. After that realization comes the shocking pain that her best friend is really gone from her forever.
The entire room holds its breath, waiting to see Éponine's reaction. She purses her lips and stares the room down, as if she too is waiting for her own reaction. Enjolras reaches out for her, though he doesn't know why—to comfort her, perhaps? But she snatches herself away from him—away from all of them. "Don't touch me," she hisses.
Then she spins on her heel and runs away as fast as she possibly can.
Notes: Aww, poor Éponine :( But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Also be forewarned, now that school has started, I definitely won't be able to update as often, if at all. This story may be going on hiatus soon, but as of yet I don't plan to do that. For now, I'll try to update at least once a week—so expect another chapter by next Sunday, seven o'clock central standard time...and if I don't get a chapter up by then, feel free to message me and tell me to post! Seriously. Anyway, thanks:)